Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /home/zhenxiangba/zhenxiangba.com/public_html/phproxy-improved-master/index.php on line 456
US9266341B2 - Liquid tank holding mechanism - Google Patents
[go: Go Back, main page]

US9266341B2 - Liquid tank holding mechanism - Google Patents

Liquid tank holding mechanism Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US9266341B2
US9266341B2 US14/716,259 US201514716259A US9266341B2 US 9266341 B2 US9266341 B2 US 9266341B2 US 201514716259 A US201514716259 A US 201514716259A US 9266341 B2 US9266341 B2 US 9266341B2
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
liquid tank
retainer
bearing portion
shaft
lever
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
US14/716,259
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
US20150343785A1 (en
Inventor
Naoko Tsujiuchi
Satoshi Kimura
Kyosuke Toda
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canon Inc
Original Assignee
Canon Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA reassignment CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KIMURA, SATOSHI, TODA, KYOSUKE, TSUJIUCHI, NAOKO
Publication of US20150343785A1 publication Critical patent/US20150343785A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US9266341B2 publication Critical patent/US9266341B2/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
    • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
    • B41J2/1752—Mounting within the printer
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
    • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
    • B41J2/17553—Outer structure

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a liquid tank holding mechanism detachably mounted on a liquid ejection apparatus and adapted to contain and hold a liquid such as ink.
  • a liquid ejection apparatus supplies a liquid to a print head by installing a liquid tank directly on the print head or mounting the liquid tank on a liquid tank mount connected to the print head through a tube or the like.
  • a mechanism for holding a liquid tank at a predetermined position a configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-110577 is known. In this configuration, the liquid tank biased in a detaching direction by a first spring when mounted is held at a predetermined position by a lever provided on a holder.
  • the lever provided on the holder is equipped with a lock protruding toward the liquid tank and configured to be able to pivot on an axis orthogonal to a disengaging direction of the liquid tank, with the lock being biased toward the liquid tank by a second spring.
  • the lock is engaged with part of the liquid tank, thereby holding the liquid tank in a predetermined location.
  • the engagement between the lock and liquid tank is released by application of a force acting against biasing toward the lock, thereby disengaging the liquid tank by biasing in the disengaging direction.
  • part of a bearing portion of a cover surrounding a pivot shaft of the lever is movable in a plane orthogonal to the pivot shaft. More specifically, the bearing portion is divided into two parts and the bearing portion itself or a root of the bearing portion is made flexible and movable in either or both of the two parts. With such a configuration, during assembly of the lever, the bearing portion moves to allow the pivot shaft of the lever to be assembled, and after the assembly, the bearing portion becomes able to hold the pivot shaft of the lever by returning to such a position as to surround the lever shaft.
  • a liquid tank holding mechanism for detachably holding a liquid tank to a main body portion, including a biasing member, a cover and a lever, wherein: the biasing member biases the liquid tank in a disengaging direction with the liquid tank mounted; the lever includes a lock adapted to hold the liquid tank at a predetermined position by getting engaged with the liquid tank, a biasing portion adapted to bias the lock so as to get engaged with the liquid tank, a shaft configured to intersect in a disengaging direction of the liquid tank, and a retainer and is attached to the cover pivotally around the shaft; the cover includes an opening through which the liquid tank is detachably attached, a first bearing portion and a second bearing portion adapted to accept the shaft of the lever, and a retainer catch; the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion movably receive the shaft in a mounting direction or the disengaging direction of the liquid tank in a bearing region formed by the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion, and the bearing portion and/or a root of the bearing portion have flexibility
  • FIGS. 1A , 1 B and 1 C are perspective views of a liquid tank holding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C are schematic diagrams of the liquid tank holding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 3A , 3 B and 3 C are schematic diagrams of the liquid tank holding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is schematic diagram of the liquid tank holding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 5A , 5 B and 5 C are schematic diagrams illustrating an assembled state of the liquid tank holding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 6A , 6 B and 6 C are schematic diagrams of a liquid tank holding mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 7A , 7 B, 7 C and 7 D are schematic diagrams of a liquid tank holding mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGS. 1A to 1C are perspective views illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid tank holding mechanism according to the present invention.
  • a liquid tank 4 is mounted and held on a liquid ejection head 1 , which is a main body portion.
  • a cover 2 is attached to the liquid ejection head 1
  • a lever 3 is attached to the cover 2 .
  • plural liquid tanks 4 can be mounted in the cover 2 through an opening 21 .
  • the mounted liquid tanks 4 are positioned in each direction excluding a mounting direction using a positioning portion (not illustrated) provided on the liquid ejection head 1 or cover 2 .
  • a biasing member 11 adapted to bias the mounted liquid tank 4 in the disengaging direction is attached to the liquid ejection head 1 .
  • FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the lever 3 according to the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 2B is a schematic sectional view of the cover 2 according to the present embodiment in the vicinity of the lever 3
  • FIG. 2C is a schematic sectional view illustrating a state in which the lever 3 is attached to the cover 2 and the liquid tank 4 is mounted.
  • the lever 3 can pivot around a shaft 32 and all FIGS. 2A to 2C are diagrams viewed from a direction parallel to the mounting direction of the liquid tank 4 and orthogonal to the pivot shaft of the lever 3 .
  • a lock 31 provided at one end of the lever 3 by being shaped to protrude toward the liquid tank 4 gets engaged with a lock catch 41 which is a recess provided on the liquid tank 4 .
  • the position of the liquid tank in the mounting direction is determined, and the liquid tank 4 is held in a state of readiness to supply liquid to the liquid ejection head 1 .
  • the cover 2 and lever 3 are formed by resin injection molding.
  • the lever 3 includes the lock 31 and the shaft 32 provided at one end as well as an operating portion 33 , a biasing portion 34 and a retainer 35 provided at another end, where the retainer 35 is a characteristic part of the present invention.
  • the cover 2 includes an opening 21 , base 22 , bearing portion 23 , lock inlet 24 and retainer catch 25 , which is a characteristic part of the present invention.
  • the bearing portion 23 is made up of a first bearing portion 231 and a second bearing portion 232 .
  • FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating step by step how the shaft 32 is inserted into the bearing portion 23 .
  • the first bearing portion 231 and second bearing portion 232 of the cover 2 are placed on the base 22 .
  • the first bearing portion 231 , second bearing portion 232 and base 22 surround and thereby form a bearing region 26 .
  • the bearing region 26 movably receives the shaft 32 of the lever 3 in the mounting direction or disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 , being sized to allow the lever 3 to pivot.
  • a distance d between a tip portion of the first bearing portion 231 and a tip portion of the second bearing portion 232 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the shaft 32 of the lever 3 , and thus the lever 3 does not come off in normal use.
  • the first bearing portion 231 has flexibility and thus can be deformed by being pushed by the shaft 32 of the lever 3 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3C when the shaft 32 is inserted into the bearing portion 23 .
  • the distance d is temporarily made larger than the diameter of the shaft 32 , allowing the shaft 32 to be attached.
  • the shaft 32 of the lever 3 stretches in a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction of the liquid tank 4 and the lever 3 can pivot around the shaft 32 with the shaft 32 attached to the bearing portion 23 of the cover 2 .
  • the lock 31 is provided in an end portion (right-side portion in FIG. 2A ) away from the shaft 32 in the mounting direction of the liquid tank 4 while the biasing portion 34 is provided on the side away from the shaft 32 in the disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 (left-side portion in FIG. 2A ).
  • the biasing portion 34 is a resin spring formed integrally with the lever 3 and when the liquid tank 4 illustrated in FIG.
  • the biasing portion 34 is bent and deformed by the base 22 of the cover 2 , producing a force tending to rotate the lever 3 clockwise around the shaft 32 . Consequently, the lock 31 is biased toward the liquid tank 4 by the biasing portion 34 and brought into engagement with the lock catch 41 , holding the liquid tank 4 at a predetermined position.
  • the engagement between the lock 31 and lock catch 41 is released, allowing the liquid tank 4 to move in the disengaging direction by the action of the biasing member 11 provided on the liquid ejection head 1 .
  • the retainer 35 for the lever 3 is provided at a location continuous with the lock 31 in the disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 .
  • the retainer catch 25 is provided in the cover 2 .
  • the retainer catch 25 is formed as a hole or concave shape in the cover 2 , and placed so as to be spaced away from the retainer 35 by a predetermined distance when the liquid tank 4 illustrated in FIG. 2C is mounted.
  • the predetermined distance satisfies the two conditions described below.
  • the first condition is intended to stabilize an engaged state of the liquid tank 4 while the second condition is intended to produce retaining action when a strong force tending to disengage the liquid tank 4 is applied to the lock 31 of the lever 3 .
  • the first condition is that the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 do not abut with each other within a movable range of the shaft 32 of the lever 3 in the bearing region 26 . If such a distance is established, pivoting of the lever 3 is not hindered by interference between the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 . Also, when the lever 3 is biased in a non-engaged state, since the retainer 35 does not run onto the base 22 of the cover 2 , stable operation is possible even if the liquid tank 4 is attached/detached and mounted repeatedly.
  • the second condition will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .
  • the second condition is that in an attitude in which the lock 31 is biased toward the liquid tank 4 and under conditions illustrated in FIG. 4 in which the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 abut with each other, a center of the shaft 32 is located on the side of the bearing region 26 with respect to the shortest line linking a tip of the first bearing portion 231 and a tip of the second bearing portion 232 (where the shortest line corresponds to the distance d described above and will hereinafter be referred to as the shortest distance line).
  • the first condition is satisfied since a situation in which the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 abut with each other is governed by a relationship between the shaft 32 and bearing portion 23 , such a situation does not occur in normal use.
  • a situation in which a strong force in the disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 is applied to the lock 31 of the lever is assumed here rather than a normal use situation.
  • the shaft 32 receives a force in the disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 from the lever shaft 32 . Consequently, the first bearing portion 231 and/or second bearing portion 232 get deformed in such a direction as to increase the distance d described above.
  • the first bearing portion 231 which is configured to have flexibility, deforms mainly. In so doing, if the shaft 32 goes to the opposite side of the shortest distance line from the bearing region 26 , the lever 3 comes off the cover 2 .
  • the retainer 35 allows the lever 3 to be assembled easily onto the cover 2 .
  • the retainer 35 does not interfere with the cover 2 on a path along which the shaft 32 enters the bearing region 26 by deforming the bearing portion 23 .
  • the lever 3 is biased toward the liquid tank 4 , a situation in which the retainer 35 interferes with the cover 2 on the path can occur due to the two conditions described above, disabling assembly.
  • the present invention allows the lever to be assembled easily in the following manner while maintaining the retainer configuration. As illustrated in FIGS.
  • the configuration of the present invention involves a positional relationship in which the retainer 35 does not interfere with the cover 2 on the path along which the shaft 32 enters the bearing region 26 by deforming the bearing portion 23 in an attitude in which the biasing on the lock 31 of the lever 3 is reduced.
  • the retainer 35 is provided at a location continuous with the lock 31 , the retainer 35 may be provided between the shaft 32 and lock 31 independently of the lock 31 or may be provided across the shaft 32 from the lock 31 .
  • the retainer 35 has a convex shape and the retainer catch 25 is formed as an opening
  • the retainer 35 may be formed as a concave shape or a wall surface in an opening and the retainer catch 25 may have a convex shape.
  • both may have flat surfaces which abut with each other or either or both may have a curved surface such as a pin shape or round-hole shape.
  • the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 have surfaces substantially orthogonal to each other in the disengaging direction of the liquid tank 4 , orientations of the surfaces are not limited to this.
  • the lever 3 is prone to come off in a configuration in which a force acting in an opposite direction (a force directed upward in FIG. 2C ) to the biasing of the biasing portion 34 is produced on the retainer 35 when the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 abut with each other.
  • the orientations of the surfaces of the retainer 35 and retainer catch 25 are set such that a force acting in the opposite direction to the biasing of the biasing portion 34 will not be produced.
  • the second bearing portion 232 may be configured to have flexibility.
  • available methods include, for example, a method which involves slitting the base 22 which serves as a root and installing the second bearing portion 232 at a tip of a cantilever or in a midsection of a fixed-fixed beam.
  • FIGS. 6A to 6C are an example of an embodiment in which the second bearing portion 232 is provided at a tip of a cantilever.
  • FIG. 6A is a top view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2B
  • FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along line 6 B- 6 B of FIG. 6A
  • FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating how the second bearing portion 232 is deformed.
  • the first bearing portion 231 and second bearing portion 232 are laid out so as to come into contact with different parts of the shaft, where FIG. 7A is a top view while FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along line 7 B- 7 B of FIG. 7A .
  • the first bearing portion 231 and second bearing portion 232 may be configured to come into contact with the same part of the shaft, where FIG. 7C is a top view while FIG. 7D is a sectional view taken along line 7 D- 7 D of FIG. 7C .
  • the layout illustrated in FIG. 7A allows the cover 2 to be molded without complicating the structure of a mold used to create the cover 2 for use in a configuration in which plural liquid tanks are held.
  • bearing portion 23 is constructed integrally with the cover 2
  • the bearing portion 23 and cover 2 may be constructed from separate members.
  • the liquid tank biasing member 11 is attached to the head 1
  • the biasing member 11 may be attached to the cover 2 or another member.
  • the present invention is not limited to this form.
  • the present invention is also applicable to a case in which the liquid tank 4 is held on a mount separated from the liquid ejection head 1 or a case in which something other than the liquid tank 4 is held.
  • the present invention is also applicable to a holding mechanism adapted to detachably hold a member.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Clamps And Clips (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
US14/716,259 2014-05-30 2015-05-19 Liquid tank holding mechanism Active US9266341B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2014-112190 2014-05-30
JP2014112190A JP6320173B2 (ja) 2014-05-30 2014-05-30 液体タンク保持機構

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20150343785A1 US20150343785A1 (en) 2015-12-03
US9266341B2 true US9266341B2 (en) 2016-02-23

Family

ID=54700779

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US14/716,259 Active US9266341B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2015-05-19 Liquid tank holding mechanism

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US9266341B2 (ja)
JP (1) JP6320173B2 (ja)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10308029B2 (en) * 2016-06-10 2019-06-04 Seiko Epson Corporation Liquid holding unit and liquid ejection device

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2008110577A (ja) 2006-10-31 2008-05-15 Seiko Epson Corp 液体収容体装着機構、液体噴射装置及び液体収容体
US8376536B2 (en) * 2010-06-17 2013-02-19 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Liquid cartridge urging units

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002292892A (ja) * 2001-03-30 2002-10-09 Brother Ind Ltd 画像形成装置
JP5700979B2 (ja) * 2010-08-31 2015-04-15 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録装置

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2008110577A (ja) 2006-10-31 2008-05-15 Seiko Epson Corp 液体収容体装着機構、液体噴射装置及び液体収容体
US8376536B2 (en) * 2010-06-17 2013-02-19 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Liquid cartridge urging units

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20150343785A1 (en) 2015-12-03
JP6320173B2 (ja) 2018-05-09
JP2015223834A (ja) 2015-12-14

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20170361801A1 (en) Mounting structure for driver-seat airbag device
US20120237177A1 (en) Locking mechanism of optical module
JP6624732B2 (ja) ハンドル
JP6274852B2 (ja) 車載用機器の取付構造
EP3197746B1 (en) Improved energy absorption module for vehicle steering column assembly
JPWO2017183619A1 (ja) 部品仮保持部材及び部品取付治具
US20160347260A1 (en) Fuse-puller holding structure
US9266341B2 (en) Liquid tank holding mechanism
JP2006057764A (ja) ケーブル用アジャスト装置およびアジャスト装置付きコントロールケーブル
JP6031185B2 (ja) 乗り物用座席
US7435092B2 (en) Retainer harness clip apparatus
JP2012113835A (ja) コネクタの取付構造および取付部材
CN101184927A (zh) 带有减震的小型磁芯调节器
JP2014173643A (ja) クリップ
JP5781360B2 (ja) コントロールケーブルの端末固定装置
CN109890643A (zh) 燃料箱的内置零部件的安装结构
JP7264575B2 (ja) アンカ装置
JP2017087956A (ja) シフトノブ構造
JP5085427B2 (ja) クリップ
KR101464544B1 (ko) 자동차의 조향장치
JP2018196958A (ja) 替刃式鋸
US9365043B2 (en) Liquid ejection head
WO2014038068A1 (ja) ベルトアジャスター
JP5682090B2 (ja) クリップ
JP4349268B2 (ja) 内装部品の取付構造

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, JAPAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TSUJIUCHI, NAOKO;KIMURA, SATOSHI;TODA, KYOSUKE;REEL/FRAME:036180/0314

Effective date: 20150514

STCF Information on status: patent grant

Free format text: PATENTED CASE

MAFP Maintenance fee payment

Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 4TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1551); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Year of fee payment: 4

MAFP Maintenance fee payment

Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 8TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1552); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Year of fee payment: 8